Press Photo/Jon M. BrouwerA green view: The Restaurant at the Highlands at the Elks Country Club overlooks the golf course.

Sometimes, life demands a night out.

Sometimes, just being a car owner demands a night out.

I've been at my auto mechanic's garage so often, I've got a reserved parking space and a coffee mug with my name on it in the break room. Rumor is, I'm up for the "customer of the year" award.

Over a recent six-week period, my car's transmission expired, the vehicle that replaced it got totaled in a crash and the replacement's replacement suffered a blown head gasket. And that doesn't count replacing a cracked windshield and the brakes on my minivan, which sounded like a screeching locomotive pulling into Grand Central Station.

So, my wife and I were desperate to put our car woes behind us and relax with another couple, Rob and Roxi, by checking out The Restaurant at the Highlands on a recent Thursday evening.

Press Photo/Jon M. BrouwerSnazzy menu: A Cuban sandwich from The Restaurant at the Highlands at the Elks Country Club.

The Restaurant at the Highlands

Where: 2715 Leonard St. NW (The Highlands at the Elks Country Club)

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday

When we dined: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29

Wait to be seated: None

Wait for food to arrive: 20 minutes, with bread/rolls served almost immediately

Dress code: Upscale casual

Ambience: It's a spacious room with a green view, as huge windows provide a gorgeous panorama of the surrounding golf course. There's also a separate lounge for golfers and more casual dining.

Parking: Free and on site

Price range: $12-$50 for entrees; $7.25-$7.95 for sandwiches

Credit cards: All major credit cards

Alcohol: Beer, wine and mixed drinks

Smoke-free: Yes

Reservations: Recommended

Contact them: 453-2451, ext. 220

Call us: Know a great place to dine out? Call The Press Entertainment department at 222-5291, or e-mail weekend@grpress.com.

I also was intensely curious to see what this country club dining room on Grand Rapids' Northwest Side had to offer, because it opened to the public in April for the first time in its 100-year history.

Now operated by the Chef Brech food service, led by chef Steve Brechting, The Restaurant at the Highlands immediately offers patrons a dazzling view of the surrounding golf course, not to mention a snazzy menu of American cuisine that gets regular updates. The restaurant also has an extensive lunch menu that includes offerings such as a Cuban sandwich and steak fajita wrap.

Diners are "very excited to see it. They want it to be what it was years ago when people wanted to come here," Steve Strelecki, food and beverage director, told me later, noting it's one of the few upscale restaurants in that part of Grand Rapids. "The reviews we've gotten from people that have come here have been very good."

Of course, getting to The Restaurant at the Highlands is a bit of a challenge these days, with road construction on Leonard Street NW forcing detours through late July. That might be one reason why only one other table was occupied the night we dropped in.

With a comfortable, spacious and moderately refined feel, we found the dining area well-suited to lively conversation, which we wasted no time embracing with talk of everything from bewildering teenagers to bewildering politicians.

All that chatter forced our polite and attentive server Casey to return a few times before we finally were ready to order dinner, though we did start with a couple of appetizers: a chicken pita ($6) and bruschetta on toast ($6).

Although the chicken pita was merely satisfactory, the bruschetta was superb -- just the right touch to enhance our pre-dinner drinks -- with the garlic, olive oil and tomatoes whetting our appetites for the entrees.

In my case, that was pecan-encrusted walleye ($18), topped with praline butter and a champagne cream sauce. I couldn't have made a better choice. This tender baked walleye literally melted in my mouth, though my vegetables seemed a tad overcooked. I also ordered a lettuce wedge dinner salad with ranch dressing, crisp and tasty.

Although my wife, Elizabeth, was unimpressed by her chicken Oscar, served with bearnaise sauce, wild rice and asparagus ($14).

Roxi, however, raved about her tournedoes porto fino ($16). The tenderloin medallions came on crostini with mushrooms, leeks and a port wine glaze, along with redskin smashed potatoes.

Rob relished his expertly prepared filet ($24). To start things off, he ordered a cup of the kielbasa kraut soup ($3.95), which he also enjoyed.

The homemade, deep-fried strawberry cheesecake ($5) was a no-brainer attraction to end the evening, so each couple ordered one to share, quickly dispatching the smooth dessert.

By the time we piled back into our van, I had totally forgotten about my cash-guzzling vehicle ordeals and that "customer of the year" award. But that's the beauty of a satisfying night out.